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nEws in BriEf

Withdraw your medication at the ‘ATM pharmacy’

Gauteng Health MEC Dr Gwen been tried and tested during its pilot medicine is dispensed. In Gauteng, over
Ramokgopa says snaking queues for phase, which saw 4 000 patients 40 000 patients receive their medication
chronic medication at health facilities withdraw their medicines at the ATM off-site as part of the department’s
will soon be a thing of the past with the pharmacy. A total of 18 000 medicines strategy to decongest healthcare
launch of the Pharmacy Dispensing Unit were dispensed during its trial. The PDU facilities. The PDU is also expected
(PDU). The PDU is the first of its kind uses world class technology that allows to increase the reach to HIV and Aids
in Africa. It operates like an ATM; only patients to enter their unique PIN code patients and to reduce the number
in this case it dispenses medication, to withdraw medication handpicked by of patients who default on chronic
giving it the name the ‘ATM pharmacy’. a robotic arm. Using a two-way Skype- medication. The MEC said the facility will
like audio-visual interaction feature, be rolled out to other parts of Gauteng,
“We have leveraged the ICT and patients can also receive counselling at with the next stop being Soweto and
digitilisation economy to benefit the the ATM pharmacy. Diepsloot. “I hope this [PDU] will assist
health of our people. The PDU will us in achieving our target of reaching
assist us to reduce congestion in The MEC said the counselling option the missing two million patients who
public healthcare facilities,” said MEC ensures that the safety of patients is should be on anti-retroviral treatment
Ramokgopa. The Health department, in not compromised. The Skype feature in South Africa. It will also help us with
partnership with non-profit organisations ensures that safety is not compromised. adherence to ART medication,” said the
Right to Care and Right ePharmacy, Patients can interact with pharmacists MEC. n
launched the PDU in Alexandra. on how to use their medication and find
According to the MEC, the PDU had out about the side effects before the SAnews.gov.za

Government steps in to support dysfunctional municipalities

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Since 2012-13, a total of R3,4 billion in as well as infrastructure management,
Affairs Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) financial management as well as
the ministry has resolved to step in to transfers was stopped and reallocated governance and administration issues,”
support dysfunctional and distressed from underspending municipalities to he said. The deployment will emphasise
municipalities in a bid to improve better spending municipalities. Minister the provision of scarce skills such as civil
service delivery. The minister briefed the Mkhize said this is not ideal, as it has an engineering, construction and project
media at the Imbizo Centre following two inadvertent consequence of penalising management, financial/accounting ex-
weeks of briefings from the ministry’s municipalities with a lower capacity, pertise, town and regional planning,
stakeholders, including the Cogta which “punishes” poorer communities. as well as expertise in governance and
provincial leadership. administration.
“This cannot continue. Alternatives must
“The Ministry of Cooperative Gover- be found to support service delivery It is envisaged that these teams will build
nance and Traditional Affairs, through to poorer communities,” said Minister permanent capacity in these munici-
its implementing agent, the Municipal Mkhize. The minister added that over palities beyond project implementation,
Infrastructure Support Grant, has the same period, municipalities failed the minister said. “Importantly, all
decided to intervene extensively and to spend a total of R8,2 billion. Between supported municipalities will be expect-
urgently in dysfunctional municipalities 2013-14 and the current financial year, ed to develop and adopt financial
and those in distress, in relation to a total of 55 municipalities had their recovery plans to ensure that they
the development and maintenance annual MIG allocations stopped at least become financially stable and have
of infrastructure,” Minister Mkhize twice. An analysis revealed that these the capacity to independently fund
said. The minister noted that despite municipalities have various inherent their commitments. “Given the difficult
government’s successful infrastructure constraints that impede spending. The situation that our country faces as a
delivery programme over the past minister said that their poor performance water scarce country, consideration
20 years, accompanied by technical means these municipalities can be is being given to the need to curb the
capacity-building initiatives over the regarded as distressed or dysfunctional. non-revenue water losses through
years, municipalities still struggle to use improving water conservation and water
the funds allocated to them. He said “We are approaching the provinces and demand management in municipalities.
based on the department’s assessments municipalities with a concrete proposal Municipalities contribute to water losses
and reports, the performance of a in the spirit of cooperative governance, through poorly maintained infrastructure
majority of all municipalities was still in accordance with our mandate. The within their water reticulation networks
lagging. Seven per cent of the country’s situation requires the urgent deployment and improper asset management. A
municipalities are classified as well of Municipal Infrastructure Support reduction in water losses will save the
functioning. About 31% are reasonably Agent (MISA) technical capacity precious commodity, while contributing
functional, while some 31% are almost experts, in the form of district technical towards improved revenue collection
dysfunctional. The remaining 31% are support teams, who will provide support and reliability of water supply,” Minister
dysfunctional, Minister Mkhize said. to municipalities towards improving Mkhize said.
service delivery. The focus of the teams
Technical support teams are to be will be to provide infrastructure planning, nSAnews.gov.za
dispatched to struggling municipalities. delivery, operation and maintenance

Volume 11 No. 3 of 2018 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 5